platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed and published by
Nintendo
is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...
for the arcade VS. System in 1984, and for the Famicom and
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
consoles in 1985. The characters Popo and Nana (Pepe and Nana in the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
version), collectively known as the Ice Climbers, scale 32 vertically scrolling, ice-covered mountains to recover stolen vegetables from a giant
condor
Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.
They are:
* The Andean condor (''Vu ...
. In some European countries, ''Ice Climber'' was bundled with the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The arcade version, , has an animated title screen, a stage select menu at the start of the game and between levels, 16 more mountains, occasional blizzard and wind effects, more enemy characters, and bonus multiplier items.
Nana and Popo are playable characters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, starting with the 2001 game ''
Super Smash Bros. Melee
''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is a 2001 crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. It features characters from Nintendo ...
'' for the
GameCube
The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the ...
. Nintendo released the NES version for the Nintendo e-Reader in 2002.
Gameplay
The first player controls Popo, a boy wearing a blue
parka
A parka or anorak is a type of coat with a hood, often lined with fur or faux fur. This kind of garment is a staple of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from caribou or seal skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid Arctic. Some Inuit ...
, while the second player controls Nana, a girl wearing a pink one. The only tool they carry is a wooden
mallet
A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and propor ...
to carve openings in the ice above and to club enemies. Each mountain
level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
* Canal pound or level
*Reg ...
consists of eight layers of colorful ice and a
bonus stage
A bonus stage (also known as a bonus level, bonus round, or special stage) is a special level within a video game designed to reward the player or players, and typically allows the player to collect extra points or power-ups. Bonus stage eithe ...
. Standard, dull ice blocks pose no threat other than an easily disposed-of barrier and platform. Square ice blocks with higher detail are indestructible, forcing the player to take another path. Hatched ice acts as a
conveyor belt
A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred t ...
sliding Popo or Nana either left or right. Finally, many mountains include unbreakable moving platforms resembling clouds. The bonus stage takes place at the peak. Within a 40-second time limit and no enemies, the Ice Climbers often face trickier jumps and multiple moving platforms. The peak is also the only place to recover stolen vegetables, most notably eggplants. Collecting just one piece of corn from the fifth bonus stage is the only way to gain an extra life. At the top of the peak, the Condor flies overhead.
Enemies encountered on the way up the mountains include the Topi, Nitpicker, and White Bear. Topis come in two varieties: the blue
seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
featured in the Japanese Famicom ''Ice Climber'' release, and the short
scores are tallied. Points are rewarded for every brick of ice destroyed, every Topi-pushed icicle smashed, every Nitpicker killed and every vegetable collected. Finally, a bonus score is rewarded if a player manages to climb to the top of the bonus stage and jump up and grab the Condor. The game keeps track of the high score, although there is no way to save it on the NES version.
The game can be played in one- or two-player mode. The latter places Popo and Nana against each other in a race to the summit. Players may prefer to play cooperatively on the way up, but during the bonus round, they must compete for the top.
Development
''Ice Climber'' and '' NES Open Tournament Golf'' were directed by longtime Nintendo producer Kenji Miki. ''Ice Climber'' is the first video game programmed by Kazuaki Morita. He considered this a "warm-up" before becoming a main
programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
on '' Super Mario Bros.''. Morita was later credited with central programming roles in numerous games within the ''
Super Mario
(also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every major Nintendo vide ...
Star Fox 64
known as ''Lylat Wars'' in the PAL regions, is a 3D rail shooter video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second installment in the ''Star Fox'' series and a reboot of the original ''Star Fox'' for the Super Nintendo Ente ...
''.
Releases
''Ice Climber'', a
launch game
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
for the NES in North America, has been re-released for several of Nintendo's consoles. The PC-8801 version has a more limited color palette and a reworked HUD. ''VS. Ice Climber'' has been re-released for the
Famicom Disk System
The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for ...
, removing the difficulty settings and changing a few graphics to be closer to ''Ice Climber'' (such as the bee and butterfly replaced by a Nitpicker and blue Condor, respectively). It has also been released in the ''
Arcade Archives
is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called is focused on rereleasing Neo Ge ...
'' series on
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...
, although the bee enemy has been removed. Including the releases listed below, the NES game is unlockable in the 2002
GameCube
The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the ...
release of '' Animal Crossing''. It can only be officially unlocked via a North America-exclusive
e-Reader
An e-reader, also called an e-book reader or e-book device, is a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books and periodicals.
Any device that can display text on a screen may act as an e-read ...
card, or as a gift to players requesting their save data be transferred from the Japanese-exclusive
Nintendo 64
The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
version to the ''Doubutsu no Mori+'' edition.
Reception
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''VS. Ice Climbers'' in its April 1, 1985, issue as the eighth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. Former President of Finland
Mauno Koivisto
Mauno Henrik Koivisto (; 25 November 1923 – 12 May 2017) was a Finnish politician who served as the ninth president of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as the country's prime minister twice, from 1968 to 1970 and again from 1979 to ...
was reportedly keen on Nintendo games and his son-in-law has reported that ''Ice Climber'' was his favorite game.
Reviewing the American release, ''Computer Entertainer'' magazine called it "addictive" for fans of climbing games. The reviewer awarded 3.5 out of 4 stars, for each category of graphics and varied gameplay, which provide "hours of challenging play".
Legacy
Popo and Nana appear in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series of fighting game as a two-in-one playable fighter under the name Ice Climbers, voiced by
Sanae Kobayashi
is a Japanese voice actress formerly affiliated with Production Baobab, and now with Sigma Seven. She has voiced in a number of anime shows and films. Some of her major roles are Allen Walker in ''D.Gray-man'', Akira Toya in '' Hikaru no Go'' ...
. Appearing in 2001's ''
Super Smash Bros. Melee
''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is a 2001 crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. It features characters from Nintendo ...
'', and 2008's ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, it was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conferenc ...
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the ''Kirby'' and ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of ''Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: Upri ...
to scrap development on them to maintain parity between the two versions. He stated that there was not a high priority to include them because the ''Ice Climber'' series was "unlikely to have another installment" at the time. The Ice Climbers returned in 2018's '' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.
Themes from ''Ice Climber'' regularly appear in the ''WarioWare'' series' classic Nintendo microgames. In '' Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land'' and ''
Kirby Air Ride
''Kirby Air Ride'', known in Japan as , is a 2003 racing video game starring Kirby, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube.
''Kirby Air Ride'' has the players and computer-controlled racers ride on Air Ride Machin ...
'', when Kirby gets the Freeze ability, he dons Popo's parka in the same manner it is worn in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. In '' Tetris DS'', an ''Ice Climber'' backdrop appears among other classic Nintendo games. '' Daigasso! Band Brothers'' includes the bonus stage music theme. The Ice Climbers appear in ''
Super Mario Maker
is a 2015 side-scrolling platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in September 2015. Players can create, play, and share courses online, free of charge, based on the styles ...